


Lost like tears in the rain

by fupette



Category: NCIS
Genre: Comfort, Escape, F/M, Flirting, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, Injury, Rescue, Teamwork, Water
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:55:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28695804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fupette/pseuds/fupette
Summary: Ellie and Nick rely on each other after escaping a skirmish. Can they work together to survive the elements, while they wait on their teammates for rescue?
Relationships: Ellie Bishop/Nick Torres
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> English is my first language, all spellings and grammar issues are my own fault. My Irish spellings might annoy readers, but that is how my brain is wired & my spell check is configured!   
> Due to my own pottymouth, I'm sure there will be a few swear words scattered into the story, but nothing gratuitous. Minor mentions of injury will most likely crop up, but I don't expect that these will be graphic in nature.

Stroke, stroke, stroke. It was a simple mantra, the imperative of keeping afloat, compelled her struggling progress down the rushing waters of the river. It harkened back to her time in FLETC training, although this time it was real life and she had the added encumbrance of her unconscious partner. Keeping Nick’s head clear of the churning water was her priority, her dogged sidestroke kept them both buoyant (in a fashion), as the icy current buffeted them both inexorably downstream. 

Ellie braced herself against the continued coldness of the water where every movement brought an icy stab to her sore core, it worried her that the frigid waters hadn’t roused Nick, he was still insensate to their current peril. She knew better than to fight against the choppy water. While her main concern was for her injured team-mate, the way the freezing water was sapping her of vital energy, it was making a bad situation worse. She could feel a cool lethargy seep into her swimming, pain and concern for Nick were the vapours of fuel that kept her going. 

She knew she’d need to berth themselves soon, before tiredness or the water would overtake her. Her focus along the riverbank was centred on finding a suitable way to get ashore. She could sense that her strokes were increasingly feeble, a clear indication of dwindling stamina in the baltic conditions. Rationally she knew the dangers of hypothermia weren’t helping her cause. From books she had understood its ability to sap a swimmer’s strength and lull tired limbs to the siren song of sleep, now that she was living through this harsh reality the worry gnawed at the back of her mind.

She knew despite the ongoing struggle her continued movements were at least generating some heat for herself, she mostly worried about Nick, her overactive mind thinking about the complications of frostbite and exposure she had read about, that could wreck havoc on Nick's already unconscious body. Gambling on the fact that she could ill afford to leave her charge in the water anytime longer. She increased her efforts to reach the banks of the river, kicking hard finding her booted feet were like dead weight against the unyielding force of fast flowing water. Finally having heaved Nick out of the water, in spite of the burning pain in her own midriff, she managed to leverage herself out of the churning depths of the water back onto terra ferma. Despite her valiant efforts to the contrary, the temptation to close her eyes briefly was irresistible, her energy fully spent from fighting the water's natural flow; her body sore, her last conscious sight was Nick. She promised herself, that she’d move him shortly just as soon as she could fight through her current stupor, if she could rest she would feel better equipped to handle their fraught situation.


	2. Chapter 2

The hot stabbing pain in Nick’s shoulder sent a fiery shard of anguish throughout his body. The mistake he was viscerally regretting was the attempt to push himself into a sitting position, he grimaced at the realisation that he couldn’t manage to keep any weight on his abused left side, he racked his brain for an explanation. “Oh Nick, careful. Don’t move.” A steadying hand reached for him, allowing him to match a worried blonde face to the previous set of instructions, stopping him from another foolhardy attempt to push himself upright .

As unhappy as he was to comply with Ellie’s guidance to remain still, a wave of dizziness crashed over him making his pounding head throb in pain at this inopportune time, this (rather than compliance) ensured that he stayed beached to the spot. He was sore, wet and cold; an ominous combination. His eyes searched for his partner again in the low light, wondering if she could enlighten him about their current plight. He could see the drag marks from the nearby riverside and some discarded rags next to him, he was starting to loosely piece together the puzzle.

“Nick, I think your shoulder is dislocated, please don’t move, I don’t want you to exacerbated it”. He was about to protest when he caught sight of her harried face, she looked wet and cold, that was unsurprising given that he felt similarly bedraggled, it was the worry and pallor of her features, that left his arguments unspoken. _Shit Ellie looked **real** worried. How bad are things?. _

Nick continued to watch as his partner kept the fire stoked, even with her focus on the flames, he could tell she was psyching herself up for some unknown reason. He was confident if Ellie needed to go find help, that she’d return to him promptly with the needed help, come hell or high water. He was unsure why she appeared to be surveying him with anxious ill-ease, her bearing was tense almost pained. He reached his right hand up to the makeshift bandage on his head, he felt a little helpless and still a little confused but he could tell Ellie was doing enough worrying for them both, he wished she would just level with him, the suspense was intolerable.

“Nick, you dislocated your shoulder, along with getting a pretty nasty knock to the head”, he saw her wince at this admission before continuing with the litany of problems, “I’ve cleaned up the cut on your hairline as best I could and you seem to be pretty lucid now that you are conscious…”. As her voice trailed away, he could see she was focusing her attention on his sore left side. After a deep breath, she bluntly stated her main concern, “I need to set your shoulder… please”. She made eye contact with him briefly, but he could tell her weak smile was forced for his sake, her attempt at bravado was betrayed as her nervous eyes flitting between his throbbing shoulder and sore head. 

“It’s ok B, I know it is gonna hurt, this isn’t my first rodeo”, he gave her a flash of a grin that he hoped would bolster her confidence, “It’s ok I’m ready for Dr Ellie”. He took several preparatory breaths in anticipation. 

“Ok, I’m gonna reset, on the count of three, ok?”, her tone was still apologetic as her hand gave a comforting squeeze to his good shoulder. He indicated his acquiescence with a brief nod. She stood forlornly over his resting form, Nick kept his breathing even but he kept his eyes screwed shut, this was going to hurt.

He bit down on his anguished scream on the three-count, Ellie had ratcheted his shoulder back into its socket in a swift violent movement. He tried to marshal his emotions as he allowed gravity to clear the vestiges of a pained tear that moistened his shut eyes. His caregiver snaked a tender hand through his tight shirt gently probing the shoulder to ensure it was returned to its rightful position. Nick could only respond with a low groan as he fought to return to his plan of calming deep breaths. He could hear Ellie’s muttered apologies and he felt doubly bad for complaining given their current circumstances. He wished he could verbalise his thanks, but he remained stoic not wanting to fall apart due to his painful shoulder and their current predicament, his darker eyes meet hers and he hoped a simple understanding passed between them.


	3. Chapter 3

Ellie kept the fire burning diligently, the collected wet kindling proved a smoky but welcome source of heat. Nick was beginning to feel human again, especially when Ellie helped him crouch over the flames. She was careful not to jostle his healing shoulder. At his workmate's behest, he tried to re-infuse some heat into his frozen extremities, both his hands and feet were stiff and maddeningly numb with the cold, but proximity to the fire was helping. 

From his hunched position he could see despite all her current hustle and bustle that Ellie had run herself ragged. He wondered was she trembling in time to his own body’s shaky shivering response, he wasn’t sure if he could trust his eyes after his head injury. He felt stupid asking her if she was cold, but he was keen to reopen their lines of communication on a neutral topic. He was glad the answer was a sarcastic eye-roll, he took solace in the fact that Ellie was tending to him without complaint, he imagined his other colleagues wouldn’t be half as patient. It didn’t escape his attention that she was still wet and wan from her earlier heroics, the curiosity gnawed at him, wanting to press for answers about how they managed to escape the militia men and how they managed to be washed ashore after an impromptu swim that he couldn’t remember. He wondered would a retelling of the story entice Ellie to take a breather and get warm by the fire if he tried to press home the point.

Ellie half-stumbled half-sat beside Nick, bracing herself against the large rocks letting the branches and driftwood drop beside her. She opened her mouth to say something but quickly thought better of it, wincing she concentrated on gathering the nearest handful of wood and then focused her attention on her patient sat beside her, with ample provisions for the fire within her reach she could get a bit of rest before necessity forced her next set of jobs. Nick chose this moment to enquired about the events of the earlier standoff, his voice hoarse from disuse, weak from all the earlier trauma.

She shut the conversation down masterfully, “Nick don’t worry about it, we’re both ok… well you are too cold for my liking. Listen Nick it’s only going to get colder when the sun sets, I don’t think my fire is going to cut it alone, we need to conserve our heat until Gibbs finds us.” She closed the distance between them, scootching closer, before continuing with her points. “Our wet clothing isn’t helping, I’m sorry but we need to share our body heat, get our core temperatures up”. The memory of getting his shoulder set causes him to flinch reflexively as she reaches for his wet t-shirt. “I am sorry. I need to dry our clothes” her tone was soft but he can hear the hurt behind the words. He knows she is doing her best, he feels helpless and ungrateful. She struggles to remove his socks and he notices for the first time he is shoeless. She places his wet clothes by the fireside, her motions methodical but tired. The feeling starts to return to his feet a dull pins-and-needle sensation, as Ellie gives him an impromptu massage, he is relieved at this small piece of progress. “I’m going to move you to lie closer the fire, I’m just going to grab some more wood. Stay warm”. He allows himself to be eased into a reclining position again, the warmth of the fire against his skin is glorious, he barely registers Ellie’s motion behind him.

After a short nap he can hear her movements behind him which he figures is Ellie, his suspicions are confirmed when he sees her top sail past his head, to dry next to his own sodden clothes. As enchanted as he is with the heat, he longs for the energy to turn around and help her recuperate from this stressful day, internally he seethes that he has proven so useless, he was napping while she was working flat out with the fire. “I’m behind you” she remarks softly as he can feel her attempt to envelop him in her arms, she is hampered by her smaller frame and a need to avoid his troublesome injured shoulder, but the close connection definitely makes him feel better, suddenly he has butterflies in his stomach rather than a gaping pit of despair, it is almost like magic, as he can feel his core is finally imbued by the warmth of Ellie’s close embrace and the still crackling fire.


	4. Chapter 4

Ellie relayed her plan, low and soft into his ear. He worried about how tired she sounded but he couldn’t fault her logic and a plan was something tangible he could hold onto. Clung together for heat, Nick tried to keep their banal banter going to occupy their minds as they wiled away their time, warm-ish in each other’s embrace. He couldn't really muster his trademark wit or humour.

As dusk descended into night, Ellie re-gathered their clothes from the fireside. For the first time he noticed the broad bandage across Ellie’s naked midriff, he suddenly realised that the rags used to clean the cut on his head were from Ellie’s now shredded flannel shirt, the rest of that material was now swaddled over her flank and his head-wound. He cursed the darkness and his own injuries, it never occurred to him that his partner was hurt too. 

He winced at Ellie’s brusk insistence that her injury was merely a scratch. She helped him back into his fire-warmed t-shirt and jumper, pointedly ignoring his concern for her health, even though he noticed her stiffness as she redressed herself. “Nick we’ve got to follow the plan, trust that Gibbs will find us”, with their close proximity Nick could see her resolve. “I’ll take first watch, I want to keep an eye out for dry drowning things got pretty hairy in the water back there. You can take second watch, I’m sure the search for us will be back in full swing by the morning”. He couldn’t hide his frustration, he watched Ellie’s labouring to carry fresh fuel over to the fire, “Ellie please you need to rest too, I’ll take first watch”. She smiled her thanks, but as she brought out her side-arm and told him she was walking their perimeter, Nick could tell he wouldn’t change her mind. He couldn’t quell the notion that there was something she wasn’t telling him. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

He hadn’t intended to drift off but he figured Ellie would not condescend to rest unless he had slept and recuperated a bit first. After he woke he shifted himself softly, careful to not put pressure on his bruised shoulder. He was anxious at the dawn of a new day, he needed to start pulling his own weight. He turned to face Ellie, ready to take over the watch, regardless of the excuses that the blonde agent would put in his way. He met her tired eyes, worrying himself immediately as he saw confusion ghost across her face. “It’s so warm”, her voice was weak and weary, he vaulted to his feet adrenaline flooding his system, injuries all but forgotten. Ellie continued her mechanical movements feeding the fire, oblivious to Nick’s sudden flurry of activity. “S’okay B, two secs. You can leave the fire, I just want to check your bandage”, he placed his hand on the small of her back, shepherding her to his earlier vacated seat. 

He could feel the stickiness of blood, warm and viscous in his hands, the makeshift bandage completely soaked through as was her t-shirt. He felt bad for leaving her toil in an injured state while he had slept, he could see how utterly drained she looked, he was surprised that she hadn’t collapsed from the blood-loss already, it seemed like the she was running on autopilot rather than rational thought.

He shifted his good arm lower to sit on his partner’s waist, inviting her to rest her head on his shoulder. He listened to her breath sounds, they remained blessedly steady, albeit a little slow. His hand then found her pulse-point checking her heartbeat, noting the clammy feeling when his fingers met her burning skin. In a faux cheery voice he buried his growing panic, cajoling Ellie to recap the events of the earlier skirmish. Ellie’s refrain alternated between apologies and a continued complaints of feeling too warm, he could feel her weak movements trying to pull herself away from his heat, even in his own weakened state he held her to his side, his hand keeping pressure on the bloody bandage hoping it would staunch the flow of blood.

“B, please…. Gibbs and McGee will be here soon, we have to hold tough, now let’s debrief”. Nick felt guilty trading on Ellie’s professionalism, but ever-the-dependable-agent, she gave her partner a detailed sit-rep of the fire fight with the militia that lead to their original escape, he prodded her for extra details in an effort to keep her awake and engaged but he could see she was struggling to keep her train of thought. Despite her protests of feeling too warm, he could see she was still shivering with the cold. As the sun rose over the horizon, Nick started to feel some hope, the morning would warm them both up, he just needed to keep his partner conscious. “Ellie, it shouldn’t be too long now". When she didn’t respond immediately, he waited patiently; the seconds dragged until she finally managed a garbled half-response. Nick felt his own worry and confusion increase. “C’mon Ellie stay with me”, he searched her eyes hunting for any signs of recognition. “S’ok Nick, I’m just a little sleepy” he could hear the tiredness in her tone with the slow stumble of whispered words. He moved his hands to her blazing hot forehead. _Shit could this be infection?_.


	5. Chapter 5

“Ok Ellie, time to move. Come now, we have sunshine it’s time to roll” Nick tries to keep his tone neutral trying to suppress his increasing panic, as he shepherds the smaller agent over to his non-injured side. His instincts tell him that if they reach a road he’ll be able to flag down some help, they have their side-arms and their badges even if they do look too decrepit to be mistaken for elite agents, they'd be able to support each other until help arrived.

The sound of the military helicopter catches him completely off guard. He couldn’t fully believe his luck until he spies the icy-white hair of Gibbs, next to the pilot, the older man shouting directions to some unseen helicopter occupants. When the field medic springs into action, things start to make more sense to Nick. The triaging of Ellie's wound is the clear first priority. A sickening sizzle smell pervades the air after the application of the wound sealer, cauterising the red gash on his partner's injured abdomen. He is impressed by her flinty resolve even in her fevered state she remains stoic. He half-hoped that the first-aider would provide a decent painkiller but he knew the provided injection was merely broad spectrum antibiotics. Ellie allows her boss to escort her to the helicopter, which leaves Nick to be dealt with. He assented to have his own wounds checked once he was satisfied his partner was safely in the chopper. He can hear Ellie debrief Gibbs unbidden, matter-of-factly cataloging the events of the stand-off, escape and her overnight sentry work. Nick cursed the medic’s slow progress, they needed to get his partner to a hospital. Finally he was strapped into the front cockpit seat, enabling the rest of the rescue team to take up positions in the rear. It wasn’t until the pilot flew upwards, that he understood his miracle was down to Ellie’s grunt-work rather than his prayers, a large SOS letters burned into the riverside. He now understood why she was worn-out to the point of collapse. _Had she stayed up all night tending to the three fires?_ He wasn’t sure if it was foolhardy or self-less but it had certainly paid off as he watched the wide undulating hills spread far into the distance, as the headed to the hospital.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Nick searched for his teammates once his arm was placed in a sling. He relented on getting an x-ray, but only to speed up the assessment, he just wanted to find Ellie; all other thoughts were secondary. He could hear McGee talking on the phone about hypovolemic shock leading him to fear the worst. He burst through the ward doors surprised to find his partner wan and tired, propped up in a hospital bed, thankfully very much alive and in one piece. Gibbs was sitting sentry at her bedside, with a questioning eyebrow pointed in Nick’s direction. 

“Sorry Boss” was the only sheepish response he could manage while he placed himself on the free chair at the other side of Ellie’s bed, feeling like a chastened child. “Torres, I’m getting coffee, make sure this one stays in bed”, with a beguiling turn of speed their boss has left the room before Ellie managed to protest the direction of continued bedrest. Nick played with his sling, trying to avoid the temptation to grab Ellie's hand wanting to feel the softness of her touch, to convince himself that she was really ok.

“My doctor sends you her compliments, she says she’s never seen a better exponent of a bone reset in the field”. He likes the small shy smile of satisfaction that Ellie can’t fully marshal into a neutral expression. “I would have got her number, but I think she was more concerned about the thought that I’d put in a good word with you!”. 

He could see Ellie flush with demure embarrassment, he let out a low chuckle, glad that they could revert so easily to their normal casual banter. “No way, did she come down to ask you out while I was in the X-ray suite?”. The shake of her head did not completely kill his line of joking questions, “oh, come on B, we just shared a near death experience, you gotta level with me here. Don't tell me you are you holding out on your partner?” he figured a gentle probing on this topic was fair game. It was only then he noticed she was playing nervously with a business card in her hand, the hand he had been tempted catch in his remaining good hand. He belatedly realised he had the wrong suitor. “Ha! Your doctor beat my doctor to the punch?”. He was pleased that he managed to imbue the required level of joviality to his tone, carefully masking a tinge of jealousy gnawing at the back of his mind.

Before Ellie could stew any further in embarrassment, Gibbs broke the silence as he returned to the room in his customarily abrupt style. He incongruously handed his subordinate another jotted note, “Your heli-medic, asked me to pass along his card”. The curt explanation only occurred once the elder agent had taken a long drink of his tall coffee. Nick found it even more adorable, as Ellie’s face was rosy hued with a rather healthy blush, her blood flow restored after an earlier rapid blood transfusion. Nick filed that tidbit of information away, very pleased at a concrete sign of returning good health.

“Agh, Ellie you should have left me get a gnarly scar, clearly it’s what all these medical types are into these days, my winning personality alone never had a chance”, her resultant laughter lit up the room like sweet music to Nick’s ears, he was glad they were both ok and in a position to make jokes, despite the secret twang of jealousy that he tried to tamp down on. 

They all sat in companionable silence, Nick deciding it was best to let Ellie get some rest before he’d suggest that she’d check in with her parents. Gibbs whittled some wood (that he seemed to magic from thin air), waiting patiently for McGee to finish a call about the current case. He knew that Nick could only concentrate on his blonde partner, they would both be off the active duty roster for at least the next few days until they could be eased back into desk duty. Today was not a day to push things, he was pleased that his two agents were on the mend and back to their cosy status quo. Gibbs decided to not comment further, as he watched Nick watching Ellie.


End file.
